An original comedy set during the repeal of Prohibition will take the stage in Lake Elsinore this month through the Ophelia Theatre Group.
“Undue Hilarity,” written by Ophelia Theatre Group founder Sarah Bennett, is a one-act play set on Dec. 5, 1933, the day Prohibition was repealed in the United States.
“It is a lighthearted comedy about a group of friends who are also speakeasy owners and how this momentous day will actually change their futures drastically,” Bennett said.
Performances are scheduled for Nov. 14, 15, 20, 21 and 22 at Studio 395 Workshop at the Outlets at Lake Elsinore. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 7 p.m., while Sunday matinees begin at 2 p.m.
The production offers two experiences. The first part of the show, the one-act play, takes place in the back office of a speakeasy, where audiences will watch the characters’ story unfold. After the play, guests will be guided into another part of the studio, decorated as the speakeasy itself for a musical performance featuring songs from the era.
“I find that when I go see a play that I really enjoy, or a musical or a show of any kind, I am gripped with the desire to be a part of the world I just got to observe,” Bennett said. “Instead of walking away wishing that you could know more about that speakeasy, you actually get to visit the speakeasy. You actually get to go inside the speakeasy and become a part of the world that you just got to know.”
Full experience admission is $28.52 and includes both the play and cabaret. Cabaret-only admission is $17.85 for guests who want to attend just the speakeasy portion. Tickets are available through the event’s Eventbrite page, linked here.
The experience will also include interactive elements, including a segment during intermission that Bennett described as having the feel of an escape room. Bennett said guests are encouraged to dress in 1920s or 1930s attire. Those who do will receive special party favors.
Bennett said the idea for the play came from a conversation with her business partner and artistic director, Eric, who is also a mixologist. The two wanted to develop a production together and settled on the Prohibition era as a subject that interested them both.
“I wrote it and we workshopped it in my backyard,” Bennett said. “I’ve got a little stage in my backyard, and we invited friends and family, and we really liked the way it came together, but we always knew that we wanted to have a public run.”
The production brings together several local artists and members of Ophelia Theatre Group.
“I’m excited to invite our community into the warm creativity of my company,” Bennett said. “You’re going to see talent from so many different members in my group, so everything from incredible vocalists to very funny actors… when you come to something like this, you really get the full spectrum of artistic creativity.”
The production also marks the group’s return to the area where it was founded.
Bennett started the Ophelia Theatre Group in Lake Elsinore in 2003 with friends from high school drama and local theater. The group initially produced small shows in Lake Elsinore before expanding to larger productions throughout the Elsinore and Temecula Valleys.
The group moved to New York City in 2011, where it continued producing shows. According to the Ophelia Theatre Group’s website, the company renovated part of a local recreation center in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens into a black-box theater.
Many group members began returning to California in 2020, according to the group’s website, as they looked to continue producing shows in Southern California.
Bennett said returning to Lake Elsinore has been meaningful.
“It means a great deal to me. This is my hometown,” Bennett said. “After all of these years of learning the trade, having the opportunity to work in New York and learn so much along the way, It means a lot to us to be able to bring our skills back to the place where we started.”
The group plans to continue developing productions in the area. Bennett said it already has several ideas and projects it hopes to work on.
“We really see this as just the beginning of a new era for us in Lake Elsinore,” she said.
